Secrets of the Water Bender
by FlameoHotmen
Summary: 7yrs after Ozai, Katara is engaged to a fire nation nobleman. There she runs into Aang, the man who broke her heart three years ago. Neither know they both have secrets that tell the truth of what happened to keep them apart.
1. Chapter 1

_** A/N: Okay so this takes place seven years after the war, so everyone is seven years older! Read and PLEASE review! Btw the dress I describe for Katara later is like the one Taylor Swift wore on the red carpet by Reem Acra, for those of you who want to look up a pic of it!**_

_ The young women stared out at the ocean, watching as Yue lit up its glossy surface. Absentmindedly she tucked a piece of her long dark hair behind her ear, oblivious to the fact that it was damp with mist. It was quiet on the deck, the only noise was that of the waves that gently lulled against the ship. As she looked out at the sea with deadened eyes only one thought was going through her mind. She had felt nervous about her decision for weeks, but now that she was here, the Fire Nation only a few miles away,a soothing calmness filled her. She knew Zuko would be waiting, he would have seen the ship. It was too late to turn back now. For the first time in months, a small smile formed on her lips._

Katara woke slowly as the dream released her from its grasp. With a sigh she tossed on her bed, the damp sheets tangling around her long legs. She stayed that way for a moment before irritably jerking herself upright, tugging the stubborn sheets away from her as she rose. She had been having that same dream for nearly a month now, and every night she would wake at the end of it, unable to return to sleep. After pacing for several minutes she quickly dressed in a simple Fire Nation dress before quietly sneaking out of the Palace. Excitement filled her as her steps took her further from the palace. Living there wasn't all bad, but she was used to the open air, doing what she wanted when she wished and not having to tell servants of her plans. With a last cautious look around Katara left the streets and headed down a lightly used pathway, her ears quickly picking up the quiet gurgle of the stream. She took a deep, pleasant breath as she walked next to it, allowing it to lead her to the river that it adjoined. It was only a five minute walk, if that, but that time was precious to Katara. It reminded her of better times, and for that she was grateful. When at last she reached the river she didn't pause but instead walked straight in until she was thigh deep. Gracefully she stretched her arms upwards before lowering them and easily encouraging a string of water to crawl its way up her wrist, its cool presence soothing. Excitement began to course its way through her body as she moved in complex water bending forms that were now almost ridiculously easy for her, still, she never felt more like herself when she was bending. Because of her dreams, this had become her nightly ritual, and at times she wondered if that was the true reason she couldn't return to sleep, or if it was the enticing call of her beloved river.

It was nearing dawn when Katara gave the river one last loving look before slowly wading to the shoreline. Quickly she put on her sandals and made her way back to the palace, if Hideo knew about her nighttime adventures, he would be sure to stop her. As she walked her mind wandered back to the young man she was destined to marry.

_ Katara gazed shyly around the room, her eyes searching for Zuko who had gone to find her betrothed. Not seeing him, she turned her attention back to all the dancers, the womens beautiful ball gowns swirling gracefully around their dancing bodies. She had found it ridiculously for Zuko to insist on throwing an engagement ball, and the sights before her confirmed it. She didn't know anyone here, and she was feeling irritable with nothing to do but stand off to the side. _

"_May I have this dance?" Startled she turned to see a man, not much older than her bowing with a flourish, his brown eyes twinkling._

"_I'm not sure," she hesitated, "I'm supposed to be waiting for someone."_

"_Is this someone a gentleman?" He asked looking upset._

"_Yes," she said, unable to hold back a light laugh at his expression, then, deciding the truth was best, she added "I'm here to meet the man I am supposed to marry."_

"_Well is he a good man?" He asked, one eyebrow raised stubbornly._

"_How should I know? I haven't met him." she replied indignantly._

"_Well let us suppose that he is," he said with a small chuckle, "do you think this nice man would want you to be standing off to the side instead of joining in the fun."_

"_If he is a nice man, which I will remind you that I'm not sure of, then I guess no. He wouldn't want that." _

"_That being the case, my name is Hideo, and I would be honored to have this dance."_

_They had talked, laughed, and nearly danced the night away when Katara came to her senses and quickly backed away, looking around frantically for Zuko._

"_What's wrong Katara?" Asked Hideo with a frown and she pushed him away._

"_I was supposed to meet my Fiancée!" She cried, "I got so caught up in our conversation that I didn't even realize," she let her sentence trail off._

"_Katara-" began Hideo with a chuckle, but she quickly cut him off when Zuko came into her sight._

"_Zuko!" she called him over._

"_I see you two have been having fun." he observed lightly, making Katara blush. _

"_Zuko I'm so sorry! We started dancing and I forgot." She mumbled her excuse._

_Zuko looked at Hideo confused before turning to Katara. "What are you talking about?"_

"_I was supposed to wait for you to introduce me to my Fiancée."_

"_Oh well it's not a big deal Katara."_

"_Yes it is! Oh I feel so stupid!"_

"_Well if it bothers you so much," Zuko grabbed Hideo and pulled him to his side, "Katara this is Hideo, your betrothed."_

Her mind snapped back to the present when she opened the palace door and was ambushed with hugs.

"Katara!"

"Hey Sugar Queen!"

"Sis! Where's the kitchen? Ouch, kidding Suki, just kidding!"

"What are you guys doing here?" she gasped when she was finally released from their embrace.

"Did you forget what today was?" Said Toph with a grin.

"Um no," she laughed nervously, "of course not."

"Yes you have!" accused Sokka, pointing a finger menacingly at her wet hemline. "You were too busy playing with your water to remember!"

"You guys," said Suki calmly, "I'm _sure _Katara didn't forget that were all here to celebrate the seven year anniversary of Ozai's defeat ok?" Turning she winked at Katara before continuing. "It's still early, why don't you both get something to eat?"

Not needing to be asked twice, Sokka and Toph left quickly in the direction of the kitchen.

"I can't believe I forgot! I thought it was next month!" Groaned Katara as she led the way to her room.

"Your busy, any normal person would understand. I mean aren't you getting married in three months?" Asked Suki with a smile.

"Two." Corrected Katara wearily as she pushed open her bedroom door. "I'm so glad you guys are here though! I've missed you all so much!"

"We've missed you too, even Toph was excited to see you again!" Suki said with a laugh. "So," she began, her voice more serious, "Do you know if _he's_ coming?"

"Who? Oh _him_?" Replied Katara airily, "no I don't believe so. He hasn't been to the last three at least."

"You mean ever since you two broke up?" Suki asked knowingly while Katara nodded sadly. "You still aren't really over him, are you?"  
"It's silly isn't it? I mean it was a mutual split, we just were away from each other for too long, it wasn't fair." Katara said with a sigh.

"Well at least you've got that cutie Hideo." Said Suki, brightening up instantly. "Now go get dressed so we can go shopping for tonight!"

Katara watched Suki leave before she collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't help but wonder why she kept lying about their split. It didn't seem like any of them were likely to run into the all mighty Avatar any time soon anyway, and it _would _feel good to cry to someone about the unfairness of it all, and how much she still hurt from that day three years ago when Aang, without any true explanation, had walked away from her forever.

"Katara hurry up!" Whined Sokka from outside her door. With a sigh she took one last look at herself in the mirror, still amazed at her sudden makeover. Her dress was gorgeous, the top was heart shaped and had dozens of silver diamonds that reached her pelvic bones before spreading out in sharp points, the rest of the dress was a very dark blue, in honor of the water tribe. At her throat was her mothers necklace, her long dark hair fell freely behind her in waves, only the front pieces were pinned back to further accentuate her eyes. Satisfied she grabbed her clutch and hurried out the door.

"About time Ka-wow." Said Sokka as he faced her. "You clean up nice."

"Thanks Sokka." She replied, her voice sarcastic.

They met with the others in the hallway, and after Sokka drooled all over Suki's beautiful green dress and Katara confessed she truly did like Toph's outfit, the four made their way towards the dinning hall. Katara couldn't help but smile when she walked through the doors. The dinning hall had gotten a makeover as well, and now instead of only Fire Nation banners, there were banners of all the four nations. People were dressed in their respective nation's colors and were milling about the table, unsure where to sit.

"Katara, you look beautiful!" Exclaimed Hideo as he reached her side, lovingly taking her arm in his.

"Hideo! I want you to meet my friends." She said happily, turning him to face the others. "This is my brother Sokka."

Quietly Sokka took Hideo's hand, giving it a firmer shake than necessary while looking into his eyes. "If you ever hurt my sister, nobleman or not, I will kill you." He promised before backing away.

"Sokka!" Snapped Katara angrily.

"Hey if he treats you well, then there's no problem." He replied with a shrug.

With an understanding nod Hideo reached a hand out for Toph before freezing when he saw her eyes.

"Yeah I'm blind." She said deadpan. "But I'm with Sokka," she added, stomping her foot on the ground, causing a small boulder to fly into her fist that she held menacingly in Hideo's face. "You hurt Sugar Queen, we'll hurt you!"

"I understand." Said Hideo with a grimace while Katara glared pointlessly at Toph . He then turned to Suki and eyed her wearily.

"What can I say?" She said with a grin. "We protect our own." As she left to find Sokka and Toph she turned and gave them both a large smile, "congratulations, it was nice to meet you Hideo!"

It was nearly an hour later when everyone was seated and Zuko stood and held his arms out wide. "Welcome to the Fire Nation! We are honored to have some of the brave warriors that fought against Ozai seven years ago sitting among us right now! As the Fire Lord, I am forever grateful for your help to restore our Nation's balance." He nodded at his friends with a smile. "Unfortunately Avatar Aang was unable to make it this year as he has other duties that require his attention," continued Zuko, "but please eat, dance, and enjoy-" Zuko paused as a guard rushed up to him, whispering quickly and glancing around with excitement.

"Please excuse me, but it appears I was wrong." He turned around and waved the guards to open the doors, a friendly smile spread on his face. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Avatar Aang."

She couldn't breath. _He's here, why is he here? _Her heart raced, her ears were filled with cheers that were meant for the man who had broken her heart. She should have left, shouldn't have even cared that he was here, but before she even had a chance to convince herself of that, she saw him, and she knew it was all over. He was more handsome than she remembered, he was wearing clothing similar to what he wore when he defeated Ozi seven years ago, his head still shaved in honor of his ancestry. Katara drank in the sight of him, of the brilliant tattoo's that spread down his back and arms, she felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes, her heart filled with a painful longing. She watched as Sokka stood and happily slapped his old friend on the back. Katara watched as Aang gave him an odd look, and terror filled her. Quickly she shoved her chair back, causing it to screech against the hard floor, but she didn't care, she ran and then did the only thing she could do to distract Aang, she threw herself into his arms. Shocked he momentarily put his arms around her and for a moment she allowed herself to pretend that nothing had happened three years ago, and that they were still both in love, but all too soon she felt his hands grab her and push her back. She raised her face to his, hurt to see the anger in his eyes. _He left me, not the other way around! _She thought bitterly, _what does he have to be so angry about? _But still, now was not the time for Sokka to hear the truth and want to kill the Avatar, so she looked at Aang and said with a smile, "Hey we all missed you! Oh and don't worry, I told them all about our breakup and they don't hate you or anything, so you didn't really have to stay away for so long, great right?" She knew she was blabbing but she couldn't help it, he was looking at her as if she were crazy and it was scaring her.

"You told them_ everything_?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Silently she nodded. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes he pulled her back into a friendly hug before putting his lips to her ear and whispering, "if you told them _everything_, then why on earth would they hate _me_?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Let me know what you think! For those of you who reviewed, thank you so much! And no, I don't own Avatar! **

_If you had told them everything, then why on earth would they hate me?_ Those words continued to run through Katara's head as she stared after the Avatar. Just moments ago he had said those mysterious words, and when she looked at him confused he gave her a disgusted look before walking away. Dazed she slowly made her way back to the table sinking into her chair, unaware that Hideo was looking at her oddly.

"Katara?" He finally said, taking her hand in his. "Are you okay?"

Not wanting to raise questions she turned to Hideo, a happy smile on her face. "Of course dear, why wouldn't I be?"

He continued to study her, "you just looked upset, that's all."

"Oh I wasn't expecting the Avatar to be here. I haven't seen him in a long time and I'm upset with him for keeping his distance from us all." She lied easily, since after all, it was partly true.

"So he's an old friend of yours?" He questioned, making Katara nervous. Very few knew her relationship with the Avatar was more than friendly, something she wanted to keep from Hideo, merely to prevent any questions.

"Yes, Hideo he's an old friend."

Without responding Hideo took the wine pitcher and filled his glass. He took a measured sip before turning to Katara once more. "If he's an old friend, then why don't you call him by his name?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

With an amused expression he leaned close to her. "My dear, you called him the Avatar."

"Oh did I?" She laughed lightly, "well I meant to say Aang." She said with a smile, trying not to let Hideo see how much just saying his name affected her. Luckily it was at that moment that Zuko declared that dinner was served, and the bustle of the servants and the happy chatter of the crowd made it much too loud to continue their conversation. Without realizing it Katara began to look through the food being served, trying to see if there was enough vegetarian dishes for Aang to choose from.

"What are you looking for?" Hideo's question brought her back to where she was.

"Nothing!" She replied, unable to resist glancing over at Aang who was seated next to Zuko, "Nothing at all." She whispered.

He couldn't help himself. Throughout the evening his eyes kept drifting back to _her. _She was so beautiful, and she danced as if she were water bending, bringing to his mind the image of her in nothing but swim wear. Chasing the image from his mind he tried to bring back the anger that had made it possible to keep his distance from her all this time. _Hey we all missed you! Oh and don't worry, I told them all about our breakup and they don't hate you or anything, so you didn't really have to stay away for so long, great right? _Her words repeated themselves in his head. He had seen the fear in her eyes when Sokka had approached him, she had thrown herself at him to keep him from telling the truth, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from embracing her. She probably knew he still cared for her, and she used that to her advantage. And yet he could find no traces of anger, not right now when she was just across the room from him. He watched her dance with the man that, if what Zuko had told him was correct, was going to marry her in just two months. He watched as the man tried his best to keep up with Katara, Aang felt a smug smile spread on his face when Katara tried to be patient and wait for him. He really should show the man just how it was done. _Besides_, he reasoned, _I've already danced with others, even Toph, it would look odd if the only person I didn't dance with was Katara._ He continued to lie to himself as he headed towards the water bender.

The song ended and Katara stepped back from Hideo gratefully. She loved dancing and lately she had tried to pull Hideo into more complex moves, that unfortunately, he just didn't get. He gave her a sheepish look which caused her to laugh, she was still laughing when she felt a touch at her shoulder, turning she felt the smile drop from her face.

"May I have this dance?" He was smiling, but his voice was cold.

"Um," Katara glanced nervously at Hideo who nodded his head that it was okay, "yes you may."

Easily Aang swept her into his arms just as the next song started up, his hands firmly at her waist.

"We really have missed you." She said once they were on the floor, and at first she didn't think he would respond as they made there way around, dancing easily with each other.

"Did you really expect me to come back after everything that happened?" he finally said, his voice sharp.

She looked up at him and almost flinched at the hard look in his eyes. "Not at first, but what about Sokka and Toph? Just because you ended it with me doesn't mean they had to suffer."

He swung her around in an elaborate dance move before pulling her back to his side and leaning down so her face was merely inches from hers, "You know _exactly_ why I didn't come back!" And then the room was filled with clapping as the song ended and Aang released her before walking away. With tears in her eyes she stared after the Avatar, unaware that Hideo was staring at her, his heart heavy with the knowledge that his fiancée had, and probably still, loved the Avatar.

_Carefully the young man urged the giant bison to land next to the Igloo, his eyes were filled with worry as he made his way into the siblings home._

"_Katara?" he called nervously. He stepped further into the home and looked around, not seeing anyone. Had something happened to her? He had returned from his trip earlier than planned after a month went by without hearing from her, and now he was worried that he had waited too long. As he searched the rooms he absentmindedly touched the smooth stone that resided in a pouch around his neck, it wasn't until the last room however that he found what he was looking for. _

Aang woke up with a gasp before annoyance took over, he was sick of that memory waking him up even three years after it took place. He had thought it finally went away since it had been months since he had last had it, but then again, due to recent events it wasn't that hard to guess just why it resurfaced. Knowing he wouldn't never get any sleep now he threw on some clothes and headed out the door. He was grateful for Zuko to have offered him lodgings for the duration of his stay, and even more grateful that it was so close to a rive, since the pull of the moon was encouraging him to find peace through water bending. He walked into the cool river, letting himself relax as he listened to the noises of nature, enjoy the feel of the moonlight on his skin. After a moment he reached from the pouch that was hanging around his neck, with trembling fingers he opened it and pulled out the smooth stone. It lay flat on his palm, the engravings glinting up at him. Silently he traced the images, one of the air nomads, the other of the water tribe.

"I didn't know you were seeing someone." The quite voice caused Aang to jump as he whirled to face the person.

Katara put her hands in the air, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What do you want?" He asked, the words harsher than he intended as he roughly shoved the stone back into the pouch.

"Nothing, I was just saying that I didn't know you were seeing someone," when he looked at her oddly she pointed at the pouch around his neck. "That was a betrothal necklace wasn't it?"

"You shouldn't be out here at night." was his reply.

Katara glared at him, "I always come out here at night, if you must know."

"Well you shouldn't, it's not safe." He shot back.

"I'm not a child Aang."

He turned and looked her up and down before meeting her shocked expression. "I know that all too well Katara."

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded, eyes blazing as she strode forward. "You've been acting like a total jerk since you've gotten here, if anything it should be the other way around!"

"Oh is that so?"

"Yes!" she hissed. "You dumped _me, _and I covered for you!"

"You covered for yourself Katara! You didn't want Sokka to know what kind of woman his little sister grew up to be!" His voice was a mask of anger as he looked at her.

"What?" the word was a shocked whisper. "That's why you did this? That's why you left me?"

"Come on Katara, did you really think I broke it off because of distance?" He scoffed.

"But I-but it wasn't my fault." She stumbled. "I mean part of it was my fault, but you can't just blame me. You were just as much a part of it as I was."

"You honestly believe that?" He demanded. "You were old enough to know better!"

Katara felt shame burn through her as she looked down. "I thought you were going to love me, no matter what."

"Well you were wrong." He snapped, throwing one last disgusted look at her before leaving the river, and Katara behind him. As he made his way back to the palace he took several deep breaths to calm down, but still unable to understand why Katara had thought he would stay with her after he had seen her cheating on him.

Katara slowly fell to her knees in pain as Aang walked away. Her hair fell over her shoulders and covered her face as she wept. She had had no idea that a night she cherished was the same one that had forever ended her relationship with the man she loved. As tears continued to run down her face, she allowed her mind to wander back to that night.

"_I've missed you so much Aang." She whispered shyly from her perch on his bed._

_Smiling he sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. "I missed you too, more than you know."_

_Unable to hold back, he leaned forward until his lips met hers, heard her gasp of pleasure and kissed her deeper, loving the taste of her and hating the Avatar duties that kept him from her for so long. Wrapping a hand in her hair he guided her down on the bed, his body gently covering hers as he continued to kiss her. With a moan Katara pulled him closer to her, not wanting any space between them. Hotly Aang grasped the thigh that was now draped across his back and then bit back a gasp as she began messing the the buttons on his pants. He grabbed her hand to stop her, but when he looked her in the eyes she meet his gaze with determination._

"_I love you Aang, and I want to be with you."_

"_Were not married." He managed to remind her, a difficult feat considering where her hand had just been._

"_That doesn't matter to me," she said firmly, " all that matters is that we love each other." Sensing his hesitation she sighed, "if you don't feel comfortable Aang then we wont, okay? If you want to wait until were mar-"_

"_No, your right." He interrupted her. "All that matters is that we love each other." And then they were both ripping off clothing, throwing them on the floor in their haste to get to each other, eager to be complete, body and soul._

She had always thought that Aang had been okay with the decision to make love even though they weren't married, but apparently she was wrong. He _had_ blamed her for that night, he had broken her heart over it and refused to believe that he was a part of the decision. Was she older? Yes, but he knew what was going on and was more than able to make decisions on his own. How was it fair that he blamed her? How was it fair that after everything they had been through he shows up randomly and ends it, with the only reason being that they were apart for too long? Unable to make sense of anything she continued to weep, unaware of the dark figures that were forming behind her._  
_


End file.
